Page 41 of Axel Martin

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted. “I thought I was this untouchable storm-chasing woman who didn’t need anyone. But then Axel happened. And now he’s gone, and I feel like—like I left half of myself on that porch.”

Grandma Shirley sat across from me, elbows on the table, eyes kind and sharp. “That boy walked in here last week and asked me what he should do to help you heal. You know what I told him?”

I shook my head.

“Nothing. I told him to sit still and stay close. Because some women don’t need saving. They just need someone to stop running long enough for them to catch their breath.”

Willa nodded slowly. “You don’t have to prove anything right now. Not to us. Not to Axel. Not even to yourself.”

My eyes stung again, and I blinked fast.

“He left with your name in his chest,” Grandma added. “And something tells me he’s coming back with more than that.”

I laughed weakly. “I hope so.”

Willa reached over and squeezed my hand. “In the meantime, you’re not alone. You’ve got us.”

That’s when my phone buzzed.

I froze.

Grandma arched a brow. “If that’s Marley, tell her to bring wine next time.”

I glanced down.

Marley: Leaving Gaza early. Got a story you’re not going to believe.

Below it:

Marley: And by the way… tell Axel Frasier says hi.

That didn’t make sense.

38

Lark

Istared at my phone long after the messages stopped.

Marley was alive.

She wassafe.

But nothing about it felt right.

I reread the first one:

Marley: Leaving Gaza early. Got a story you’re not going to believe.

Then the second:

Marley: And by the way… tell Axel Frasier says hi.

Tell Axel?

That didn’t sit right.

I thought she was in Jordan.